Healthy and Delicious Cooking.

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Finding interesting recipes is getting more difficult as the weeks progress. We still haven’t repeated any since we moved into our apartment at the end of May; and, we really want to continue to make only new dinners each day of the week without any repetition. Though there are endless internet resources for recipes and meal ideas, it’s sometimes difficult to sift through the massive amounts of information a simple Google search can provide… But, what’s that?! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Rachel Ray magazine to the rescue! I like paging through old issues that my mom gives me when she’s finished. I posted a recipe of hers before, but then strayed from my magazine inspiration. Now I am back, Rach.

The chicken, when cooked on a grill pan, gets an excellent grilled flavor and beautiful grilling marks, all while keeping the moisture of the chicken in tact. The yogurt sauce reminds me of tzatziki sauce due to the coolness it provides the chicken. Maranading the chicken in the sauce doesn’t give the chicken a distinct creamy taste, but instead provides a gentle nod to the herbs and flavors of the sauce itself. Great dish: looks pretty, tastes good.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, parsley and scallions; season with salt and pepper. Measure out 1 cup and transfer to a small serving bowl; refrigerate. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; add to the large bowl with the remaining yogurt mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate for about 30 minutes.

Oil the grill pan and cook the chicken over medium to medium-high heat, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with the refrigerated yogurt sauce, garnish with parsley leaves.

I love chinese food, and I love crock pots. The convenience of coming home from work at the end of the day and having dinner already cooked is priceless in my book. I came across this mysterious looking recipe amongst a list of a bunch of crock pot recipes. I didn’t really know what to expect from it, but I decided to give it a shot. Once I had gotten all of the ingredients into the crock pot, I began to question whether or not this was going to taste good, but it came out quite tasty. The chicken is very juicy and the whole thing is full of flavor. I would suggest serving it over rice.

Ingredients

Chicken breast – (chopped)

Cabbage – 2 cups chopped

Red and green peppers – 1 each (chopped)

White onion – 1 (chopped)

Chinese peppercorn – 1 teaspoon (ground)

Honey – 1 Tablespoon

Soy sauce – 2 Tablespoons

Salt – 1 to 2 teaspoons

Diced ginger – 1 Tablespoon

Chicken soup stock – 2 cups

Corn starch – 2 Tablespoons + 1/4cup water

Mix all the ingredients in the slow cooker (but not the starch and water), and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. In the last 30 minutes mix the starch and water into the pot. Serve.

Turkey and Yam Spicy Tacos (serves 6-8)
Inspired by a recipe found here.

I swear, Mexican food is an incredible thing. It is agreed among myself and Bryan that our most successful meals are those that incorporate Mexican flavors. This one is no exception. A spicy blend of herbs and spices creates a flavorful base for the turkey. The yams mixed into the turkey creates a subtle sweetness that balances the spiciness of the meat. It is a truly delicious, though unusual, combination.

Ingredients:

1 yam, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

A handful of jalapeno pepper slices, minced

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup salsa

16 small, warm corn tortillas

Put the diced yam in a microwave-safe bowl; cook in the microwave until cooked through and fork-tender, stirring once, 5 to 7 minutes.

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium heat; cook and stir the turkey until crumbled and evenly brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper into the turkey and continue cooking until the onions begin to caramelize, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with the chili powder, cumin, Cajun seasoning, and salt. Pour the salsa over everything; fold the sweet potatoes into the mixture.

Allow the mixture to cook until the excess moisture evaporates. Serve with the warm tortillas, as well with any of your favorite taco fixins.

I’m in love with the Rachel Ray magazine. There are so many great recipes, articles, and general goodness for real people that it’s hard to stand. I’ll admit, I never was a huge fan of Rach’s. I’m not sure why, but something about her shows weren’t very engaging for me. But since the free subscription of her magazine started coming in the mail, I figured I’d give her another chance and my mind is blown. I’ve yet to make a recipe I didn’t like! The recipes Rach includes in her magazine incorporate ingredients that are readily available and easily modified for specific tastes.

When I came across this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken, I knew I had to try it. Asian cooking is a little intimidating–at least for me–but this recipe is a great success as it preserves the tastes of restaurant-style Sweet and Sour Chicken in a healthy way. Yes!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

salt and pepper

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved

2 tbsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos

3 sprinkles of xanthan gum

1 tbsp. barbeque sauce (I used Annie’s organic)

2 tsp. minced ginger

1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

Sesame seeds for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups water and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil; stir in the rice. Cover, lower the heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, Bragg’s, 1 sprinkle of xanthan gum, barbeque sauce and ginger. In a bowl, toss the chicken with another sprinkle of xanthan gum, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat a bit, add the bell pepper and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pineapple chunks, then pour the pineapple juice mixture into the chicken mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. If sauce is not thickened to desired consistency, stir in an additional sprinkle of xanthan gum. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over the rice.

I’ve recently discovered my love of black beans. The southwestern egg rolls (found here) are one of my favorite things ever. The chili that I made last week was also pretty great. Black beans really are amazing. This recipe is no exception to that rule. This is a really unique meal that is really simple and fast to make. It also looks really impressive for being such a simple recipe. All of the colors make this a dish that you use to show off with.

Ingredients

Salsa:

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels

2 tablespoon chopped red onion

2 teaspoon chopped seeded jalapeño pepper

2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

2 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

8 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

Chicken:

1 tablespoon butter

Cooking spray

2 chicken breasts

Dash of salt

Dash of freshly ground black pepper

Lime slice

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Spray chicken with cooking spray to coat, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook chicken over medium high heat in a pan with butter. Serve chicken over salsa with a slice of lime.

We had extra walnuts from a recipe Bryan made recently. We also had extra rosemary. Being a novice in the kitchen, I’m not too sure of the shelf-life of half-used things like that, so I like to be on the safe side and use them sooner than later. While I was foodbuzzing, I found this recipe and realized that it is a triple threat: it tastes delicious, uses our surplus of random ingredients, and is low-carb and gluten free. I altered the amount of chicken used, but kept the walnut rub the same. Excuse me if you disagree, but I don’t think you could ever have enough crust in a crusted chicken!

Ingredients:

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, halved

2 tbsp. salt

1/2 cup walnuts, ground fine

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

To brine the chicken, fill a large bowl with cold water and stir in kosher salt until mostly dissolved. Place chicken in bowl and chill in refrigerator about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, whisk together walnuts, rosemary and garlic. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towel. Place chicken in single layer in prepared pan and cover each breast in walnut mixture, pressing to adhere. Drizzle with walnut oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake until light golden brown and chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

This is the perfect recipe for anyone that is on a tight budget, wanting something simple to make, or someone who is a beginner at cooking. It’s probably the simplest recipe we’ll ever post on our blog. Don’t let it’s appearance fool you though, it’s still delicous and full of flavor. The parmesan makes it taste much like it’s breaded, and creates a chicken that can still impress despite it’s lack of ingredients

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp coconut oil

Parmesan cheese (the cheap powdered kind)

4 slices of provolone cheese

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese over both sides of chicken, coating it like a breading, and transfer to pan. Flip every minute or so, sprinkling with about 1 Tbsp of parmesan cheese on each piece of chicken. Continue flipping and sprinkling with parmesan until each side has been coated 3 times, and then cook until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees. Transfer to baking pan, and cover with provolone cheese. Broil for a minute until cheese is browned and serve.